This is a must-know for everybody because mental health is just as important as your physical health but people seem to prioritize physical health over their mental health without care. Why do I say that? People are quick to go to the doctor when they have a headache but they hardly do anything about it when they are depressed.

In this blog post, we are going to reveal mental illnesses you may have that you may not know about(ignorantly). The scariest and the most dangerous thing is to be mentally ill and nobody knows, not even yourself and that’s why it is important to know this so you can help yourself or someone else you love.

1.Mythomania/Pseudologia fantastica

Yes, this reminds us of Pinocchio. The common name for this mental illnesses is being a pathological liar.Mythomania manifests in people who are described as chronic liars. These liars sometimes believe that they are telling the truth while in fact, it is obviously a fantasy story telling. Others are also very much aware of the falsification of the story they are telling but they seem to get off telling lies.

Unlike ordinary people who sometimes lie to save themselves from a situation or solve a problem, people suffering from Mythomania usually lie for no apparent reason at all. A reason that is usually attached to their lying is to create a false impression they have of themselves to make themselves feel good. For example, “My father is the richest person in Awoshie” when in fact his father is a poor farmer that lives in Gyekitie. Or, “I only date a man I truly love” when in fact she is dating numerous men at a time. Pathological liars sometimes say false things to make themselves feel better.

Finally, someone suffering from Mythomania usually is not that bothered when they are caught lying. They seem unconcerned even though many of them would pretend to feel like a usual person would; express shame, hurt, anger or disgrace.

So if you are suffering from these symptoms, realize it, accept it and seek help from a psychologist, psychiatrist or a counselor to help you out in any way possible. If it goes untreated, it may escalate to other mental illnesses or at most, affect your relationships.

2. Hypersexual Disorder

This is also known as satyriasis in men and nymphomania in females. Even though the subject of sexual addiction is usually taken lightly in our society especially in men, a sexual behavior that is out of control is a mental disorder. Even though this continues to be a debate, a person is considered to suffer from this mental disorder when he or she experiences repeated fantasies, behaviors and urges that lasts up to 6 months and are not due to factors such as medication, another medical condition, substance abuse, manic episodes linked to bipolar disorder. This person hardly puts anything above his or her own sexual desire. Sex is usually priority!

Observing an out of control urge for sex? Just check in with a psychiatrist for help.

3. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD)

This is sometimes called the extreme cleanliness disorder where one cannot stop doing a particular thing for a mentally stipulated number of times like cleaning. I can only imagine the perception people would have about someone suffering from this in Ghana(Africa). The person will be hailed as very clean and the best wife material if she is a woman. It will rather be seen in the positive light. It is not surprising that we hardly hear of these illnesses in Africa because they are usually seen as positive. But if you are extremely clean and weirdly afraid of germs to a point where it is tiring and sucks the joy out of life, then you probably need help.

4.Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

It is otherwise called the ‘selfish‘ disorder. Someone suffering from NPD usually has a strong sense of self-importance and extreme state of self-love. They usually find it hard to empathize, but rather seeks admiration. This trait usually makes them arrogant, manipulative and demanding. They ask you to walk in your shoes to get theirs to them but they never bother to ask you how tight yours are. Showing care for other people takes such effort to do from them to achieve. They are usually very unforgiving and egoistic. Always feels(complaints) he or she is the one that needs help and never the other way round. If you suffer from these symptoms, you probably need to be checked.

4. Anxiety Disorders

Sometimes called the ‘everyone hates me’ disorder. There are people who’d always complain about someone hating him or her. This person feels like almost everybody in the world is against him or her; if someone passes by without greeting him or her, the brain convinces him or her that he is hated by the person. When someone stares at her hair in admiration, her brain tells her the person is having negatives thoughts about her when a group of people are gathered while he or she passes by, his or her brain convinces him or her that they gossiping about him or her. Such people in Africa usually provoke the thought that they are pursued by witches or evil spirits because of how everybody seems to hate him or her. A person suffering from this usually reacts to objects and situations in anxiety and panic which usually manifests itself in sweating and shaking.

If signs such as these are experienced, you need to see a mental health professional for help.

5. Bipolar Disorder

You would think that Bipolar disorder is one of the most obvious mental disorders but usually, it goes unnoticed for a very long time. Those whom the patient is close to, usually do not realize it due to issues of acceptance. It is even more difficult to detect among people whom you do not know. Bipolar disorder is usually a drastic swing of moods from extremely happy to suicidal depression to a murderous anger. The drastic change in behavior is a major sign of bipolar disorder but usually, it goes unnoticed especially in the African society. I recently blogged about a girl who suffered from a Bipolar disorder in the eyes of the entire country but nobody knew till she went to get herself checked. When someone you love is extremely happy, you’d want to believe that he or she is simply elated when he or she is sad, you’d think of a reason for his or her actions.

6. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This is a mental illness that is usually triggered by a traumatic or terrifying event. Soldiers, victims of rape, victims of accidents in general usually become patients suffering from PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is very common being the effect of experiencing terrifying events. Patients usually have nightmares, visions and an uncontrollable remembrance of that traumatic event. I shared my personal struggle with something I now realize was a symptom of PTSD on my blog some time ago entitled,“My Night of Terror”

I bet you were thinking about a number of people you knew who suffers from these types of mental illnesses.The stigma associated with mental illness is really uncalled for because, from this post, we have realized that most of us experience mental illnesses at certain points in our lives. It is really unfair to treat someone with a different type of mental illness unfairly because you suffer a different one.

The rate of ignorance when it comes to mental illnesses in the world is very dangerous, and it is even worse in Africa. You can share this to as many people as possible because we could be mentally ill but may not know, even if we do, we find it hard to accept it. Knowledge is everything!